A22—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 4,1984
Dum addresses Lebanon Coun
BY LAURA ENGLAND
ANNVILLE Speaking farmer
to farmer, Perry County dairyman
Thomas Dum HI advised Lebanon
County dairymen Thursday night
to be realistic in reaching high
rolling herd averages and to do
more research in selecting sires
for artificial insemination
programs.
As guest speaker of the annual
Lebanon County Holstein
Association Field Day, Dum
cautioned the dairymen not to “put
yourself in a postilion that you’re
so proud of your higher herd
average” that you begin culling
cows that have potential as
milking animals. Many good cows,
he added, are culled when trying to
reach higher production averages.
Dum, who with his wife Shayne
and five children farm Dumbelle
Farms, Landisburg, also told the
200 dairymen to research the studs
they are using in their herds.
“You owe it to yourself and your
integrity to do research and select
your studs,” he said.
In doing so, the results of the
mating rest solely on the farmer’s
shoulder and are not the respon
sibility of the AI technician, Dum
said. He added that individual
farmers should be responsible for
the failures or successes of herd
breeding.
“You’re the one who controlled
that mating,” Dum said of farmers
selecting their own studs, “and
you’ve got to take the lumps if
you’ve made mistakes.”
When selecting sire studs, Dum
said it is helpful to look at the
Predicted Difference (PD) rating,
but a farmer must also consider
other breeding traits. He
suggested to question not only
what the bull does right but what
he does wrong.
“Do not only breed numbers,” he
said, “but breed cows.”
As a farmer with an extensive
merchandizing and embryo
transfer (ET) program, Dum said
Lancaster Guernsey Breeders hold annual field day
BY LAURA ENGLAND
QUARRYVILLE - Despite tbe
hot and muggy Thursday af
ternoon weather, approximately 70
Guernsey breeders put aside their
daily chores to attend the annual
Lancaster County Guernsey
Breeders Field Day.
Hosted by the Richard Bren
neman family, Quarryville, the
Guernsey enthusiasts were treated
to an afternoon of cow judging
contests, presentations by guest
speakers and a catered pig roast
Lancaster County Extension agent Glenn Shirk, left,
discusses the dairy situation with economist Jim Fraher,
Inter-State MHk Producers Cooperative.
that many farmers question the
breeding of too many outstanding
cows through ET which could
possibly jeopordize a balance
between cow types.
“The ET program can only
enhance the good ones (cows) we
have,” he said, adding that more
good plus cows are in the breed
than anything else. This trend
should continue, he said.
In addition to serving as guest
speaker, Dum also served as the
official judge for the field day’s
cow judging contest. The judging
classes included a group of 2-year
olds, a group of 3- and 4-year-olds
and a class of aged cows.
The approximately 160 judging
contestants were divided into four
the Lebanon County Holstein Association
judging contest are, from left. Stephanie Wagner, Elene Hitz,
Brian Meyer and J. Calvin Zimmerman.
luncheon.
The day's events began with the
judging contest officiated by Jane
Pepple, a Chester County
dairyman. Although a few
disagreements in class placings
were noted, the judging con
testants were content with Mrs.
Pepple’s official placings.
Winners in the youth division
were Joe DeLong, Quarryville;
Janice Garber, Willow Street; and
Kurt Breneman, Strasburg. The
women’s division winners were
groups. Winners in the Youth
Under 13 class were Stephanie
Wagner, Cindy J. Smith and
Krystal Sellers. Youth 13 to 19
winners were Brian Meyer, Gary
Bixler and Karl Brandt.
Women’s division winners were
Elene Hitz, Irene Mase and
Thelma Hostetter. J. Calvin
Zimmerman topped the men’s
division, followed by Nelson
Troutman and Frank Graybill.
The field day was hosted by
Hoover Farms, Annville. The 130-
milking cow operation is run by
brothers Dale, Dean and Reed
Hoover. The rolling herd average
is 18,000 pounds of milk and 680
pounds of fat. The brothers also
feed out 300 steers each year.
Thelma Garber, Willow Street;
Joyce Wagner, Quarryville; and
Elsie Wolf, Quarryville. Men’s
winners were Peter Witmer,
Willow Street; Jim Diller, Willow
Street; and Don Breneman,
Strashurg.
Following the judging contest
and the catered lunch, the
dairymen were given an up-date (hi
the dairy situation by Jim Fraher,
an economist with Inter-State Milk
Producers Cooperative. Fraher
told the group that more difficult
times are ahead, but the industry
will see some positive changes.
On the supply/demand side of
the situation, Fraher reported that
milk production in the United
States is declining and was down
four percent in June compared
with production levels a year ago.
Some marketing areas, he added,
are still seeing an increase, but
nationally a decrease of 2.5 to 4.0
percent is predicted.
An adjustment oathe supply side
is occurring, Fraher said. Cow
numbers are down and production
per producer per day is declining.
Balancing this on the demand side,
commercial sales are up and are
showing a six percent increase
over last year, Fraher said.
Although noting positive
changes, the dairy industry
problems are not over, Fraher
said, and farmers should count on
a SO-cent drop in support prices in
April. Government purchases of
milk in 1963 totaled 12 million
pounds, Fraher said, and the
government wants to purchase less
than five million pounds.
Another change in the industry
Fraher discussed was multiple
component pricing. With this’
system, milk components protein
and solids-not-fat (SNF) are
considered when setting the price
HM
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microphone, explains his placings in the Lebanon Holstein
Field Day cattle judging contest.
nty jry
milk to members of the Lebanon County Holstein Association
paid to individual producers. said. With its plan, the NMPF will
Fraher explained that a “big consider protein, SNF and fluid
move to component pricing” is carrier in setting a premium,
occurring in the Midwest where The reality of component
the producer is paid a premium for pricing, Fraher said, is that dif
protein and SNF produced above a ferences in premium systems are
certain base point. The premium seen. He said that Inter-State is
paid to these producers comes studying component pricing, also,
from other producers, Fraher said.. and favors a system that compiles
The National Milk Producers' the value per pound of component
Federation is developing a com- where “some farmers will get
ponent pricing plan as well, Fraher
Guernsey Breeders cattle judging contest Peter Witmer and
Thelma Garber.
(Turn to Page A 25)